Relative positioning provides for a determination of a location of a platform relative to one or more other platforms. Examples of platforms include aircraft carriers and aircraft. In some examples, a position of a moving platform, such as an aircraft in flight, is determined relative to a non-moving platform, such as a stationary vehicle. In some instances, each of the platforms is a moving platform (e.g., two moving aircrafts or an aircraft and an aircraft carrier).
Signals sent from respective platforms can be received and processed to determine distances between and positions of the platforms. Methods for determining relative positions of two or more platforms incorporate time transfer techniques, including two-way time transfer. For example, a clock associated with each platform can record a time at which the platform sent a signal to another platform and time at which the platform received a signal from other platform. The recorded time data can be used to calculate an offset or deviation between the clocks. The calculated offsets can be used to determine distances between the respective platforms and to prevent platform positioning errors due to time differences between the clocks of the respective platforms. In examples where the respective platforms are both moving, determining the relative positioning between the platforms involves consideration of parameters such as changing distances due to each platform being in motion.